mocha me

Saturday, February 21, 2015

This is a take off on another one pot pasta dish that I made a while back. I found this over here and knew I just had to try it. I love anything with lemon - not just cakes. Pasta and lemon just go soooo hand in hand! The bonus with this dish is there is minimal cleanup because you cook it all in one pot! These types of dishes are also very interchangeable....I used half in half instead of heavy cream which the original recipe called for. I used extra wine (hey, that never hurt anyone) and water since I used a few ounces more pasta. Get the idea....this is not like baking, which I do love. Baking does not forgive. You make a mistake...and the cake falls flat!! Haha!!! True....

We are having some major snow here the past week and I, for one am sick of it. As I was walking my dog in the awful weather I just thought to myself - 3 months from now will be the end of May! We'll be way into spring and warm weather. That is the thought I am holding onto. In the meantime I have been baking away and enjoying every moment in the kitchen! It's the best place this time of year!

In large pasta pot combine all ingredients except last 3. Bring to a boil on medium high heat and using large fork or tongs rearrange pasta quite often. Cook about 10 minutes or more until desired consistency and until most of liquid has been absorbed but not all. I used 16 oz of fettuccine and cooked this approximately 15 minutes. I do not like al dente pasta...I prefer it softer.

Saturday, January 3, 2015

Happy New Year everyone! Hope you all had a wonderful holiday. I spent part of the holidays with family in Virginia and part of it on Long Island. I also spent 9 hours on I-95 driving to NY and plan on flying next time. Haven't flown in decades (seriously) but it's now or never to get over this fear. Traffic will definitely help you conquer a fear of flying!!!

I had a bag of cranberries that I just had to do something with so when I spotted this recipe I knew I would give it a try. It's also vegan, so that is just perfect for me!!! These are really delicious and very moist. The cranberries lend just enough tartness to the muffin. Perfect - really...they are THAT good. Here is where I found the recipe.

Preheat the oven to 360 degrees F.
Pour 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of water into a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the cranberries and simmer until they start to pop - about 5-7 minutes. Remove pan from stove top and drain the liquid and set cranberries aside.
In a medium bowl combine bananas, oil and brown sugar and 1/2 cup remaining white sugar. Beat together with a mixer.
In a separate, larger bowl, combine both flours, baking soda and salt.
Pour the banana mixture

into the dry ingredients and beat with a mixer until smooth. Do not overmix. A minute or a little less will be enough. Gently fold in the cranberries.Put cupcake liners in muffin pan and fill each liner 2/3 with batter. Bake for approximately 25 minutes. Mine were done in about 23 minutes. Use toothpick to check when they are done.

Friday, December 19, 2014

This is an absolutely awesome cake. I'm attracted to recipes that are simple. Not too many crazy ingredients or dozens of steps either. This cake is all of that and more. I was going to post another recipe before this one but I figured with the holidays coming up this would be better suited for now. It is perfect for breakfast or dessert. If you are going to try one new recipe this season, let it be this one. It will not disappoint! Here is where I originally found the recipe, via Pinterest!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. With a mixer, beat eggs with sugar until slightly thickened and light in color, about 5 to 7 minutes. The mixture should almost double in size. The eggs work as your leavening in this recipe, so do not skip this step. This mixture should form a ribbon when you lift the beaters out of the bowl. Add the butter and vanilla and beat for 2 more minutes. Stir in the flour until just combined. Add the cranberries and stir to mix throughout.

Spread batter into buttered 9 x 13 pan. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until very lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool completely before cutting into small slices.

The original recipe does not call for a drizzle or light glaze but I think it would be perfect for this cake and may try that the next time I make it.

Sunday, December 7, 2014

I made this pound cake last week to bring to a Christmas party. I love to make pound cakes because I've found that when people find out a homemade pound cake is on a dessert table they go right for it. This one was easy and delicious. My only dilemma was that it look soooo plain. Nothing special looking at all. Just Plain Jane! So I quickly filled the center with cranberries and made a simple glaze using powder sugar, almond milk and a tiny splash of lemon juice. Perfect! Keep this in mind when you need to bring a holiday dessert to a party this year. These cakes go a long way!!! Recipe is from Tates Bake Shop Cookbook.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 10-inch Bundt pan with a nonstick spray.
In a small bowl, sift the flours, salt and baking powder together. Set it aside.
Cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer till it's light and fluffy.
Add the vanilla and mix it in.
Add the eggs one at a time, mixing and scraping down the bowl after each addition. Add the sour cream and mix it in.
Add the dry ingredients. Mix all till they are combined.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan.
Bake it for 1 hour and 30 minutes or until a cake tester or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Thursday, November 13, 2014

I came across this recipe after just purchasing a bunch a big, juicy blueberries from Trader Joe's. I didn't want a recipe that would use all of them up at one time since I wanted to also enjoy snacking on them and I love to have them in cereal too! This recipe fit the bill since it only used 1 cup...and it's a good cake too. Don't leave out the orange rind either...it really boosts up the flavor!

Preheat over to 325 degree F. Grease a 9 in springform pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.

For the topping, put all the ingredients in a bowl and mix with a fork to make a crumbly mixture.

Sift the flour and baking powder into a large bowl and add the butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla extract. Beat well until the mixture is smooth, then add the orange rind, ground almonds (if using), and half the blueberries.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan, smooth level with a spatula and sprinkle with the remaining blueberries. Spread the crumble topping evenly over the top, covering completely.

Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes, or until risen, firm and golden brown. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove the sides of the pan and finish cooling on a wire rack.

Tuesday, November 4, 2014

It feels good to post on my blog again...it's been way too long since I posted a recipe. I've missed trying new recipes. For whatever reason, I just hadn't felt like trying new recipes. I mainly cooked and baked familiar recipes. Old recipes....boring recipes!

This cake is funky looking. It didn't look funky on Anna's blog. In fact, it looked very pretty. But I am not much of a cake decorator and I have thought of taking a Wilton's Cake Decorating class but I just keep thinking I would rather just practice myself. It's just a matter of time to decide to do just that! Anyhow, the cake looks funky but tastes delicious. Love, love, love lime.....When I saw how green it looked I was tempted to make an orange colored frosting. Would have been great for Halloween! It's a super easy recipe since it starts with a cake mix, and you know you can't go wrong from there.

Preheat over to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 3 8 inch round cake pans. I used 2 9 inch pans.
Mix the cake mix, Jell-O, oil, orange juice and eggs in a large bowl and beat well with an electric mixer for about 2 minutes. Pour into pans and bake for approximately 20 -23 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Let cool for about 10 minutes in the pans, then remove from pans. Mix together the lime juice and powdered sugar and spoon over the cake. Let cakes cool completely.
To make frosting, mix together cream cheese and butter and beat until blended. Add sugar and beat until smooth. Fold in the whipped topping. Spread over top of the cake and stack on top of one another and spread over top and sides completely.

Monday, November 3, 2014

I miss my blog....I miss posting more frequently. I've been baking and cooking things I've already posted so there really is not much to post. Sooooo.....here is a favorite of mine....Snow Balls!!!! Or as this picture says - Glo Balls! Really, they are too much! These are my junk food weakness! What is your junk food weakness?

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About Me

Welcome to Mocha Me! I started this blog over 6 years ago with your basic recipes and now will be adding vegan and vegetarian ones. Hope you enjoy your visit here and that there is a little something for everyone!